HOW CLASH OF CLANS ALMOST RUINED THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS SEASON

The Kansas City Royals are preparing to face the San Francisco Giants in the World Series tonight, but the matchup almost didn't happen thanks to a Clash of Clans addiction.

In a Kansas City Star profile of the Royals, first-base coach Rusty Kuntz remembered coming into the locker room after a tough loss against Boston — their third in a row in the middle of the season, putting the team below .500 — and seeing a handful of players fixated on Clash of Clans.

"At that time, in that situation, it’s really disappointing," said Kuntz. "You just got to a point where you go, 'What’s the priority here? Is this just three hours out of your time, spent away from what you’re actually being interested in? We’ve got to find a way to get this changed, so that the priority is the game, and all this other stuff is secondary.'"

Royals reserve player Jarrod Dyson reportedly started the Clash of Clans fixation, introducing the game to outfielder Lorenzo Cain. Soon, third baseman Danny Valencia, infielder Mike Moustakas, and first baseman Eric Hosmer were joining in on the action as well.

"Maybe I need to cut back some of my hours on it," Cain said in July. "I think I’m going to cut back on it a little bit."

The amount of time dedicated to Clash of Clans by the Royals players frustrated the coaching staff, who wanted the team focused more on practice and preparation. A few days after the midseason Boston loss, the players held a meeting and decided to follow that advice, which meant less Clash of Clans time.

Dyson even said he planned on deleting Clash of Clans after the meeting. "It’s ending," he said. "I’m ending it. I’m winding it down. I’m toning it down. I’m trying to tone it down. It’s going to be hard, but I’m trying to tone it down."

The meeting worked for the Royals. Afterward, the Kansas City ball club won 16 of their next 19 games, and Clash of Clans time was switched out for watching video of opposing pitchers.

The Royals didn't just stop winning in the regular season, though. The Kansas City team is undefeated in the Major League Baseball posteason and looking to secure their first Series title since 1985.